Health and Fitness
April 8, 2009
Preston Maring, MD, Interviewed on ABC News’s “Good Morning America Health”
Kaiser Permanente physician Preston Maring, who created Kaiser Permanente’s farmers market program, promoted the role of fresh produce in preventive medicine on ABC News’s show “Good Morning America Health.”
Dr. Maring, associate physician-in-chief at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, appeared on the show April 7 in New York City and shared recipes from the new cookbook “Eating Well in Season: The Farmers’ Market Cookbook,” for which he contributed the introduction.
“A good diet is the most important fundamental aspect of preventive medicine,” Dr. Maring said, “and preventive medicine is what Kaiser Permanente is all about.”
Dr. Maring detailed three reasons why eating from a farmers market is an excellent idea:
- It’s good for one’s health. Many studies have shown that increased consumption of fresh produce helps reduce weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol
- It’s good for the environment. Local farmers often farm using minimal pesticides and ship produce using minimal packaging. Eating produce grown locally also reduces “food miles”, or the distance food must be shipped to market — which reduces the carbon footprint for that food.
- It’s good for a family budget. Preparing one more meal a week at home, and incorporating fresh, seasonal produce into that meal, can reduce the total family expenditure for food.
Dr. Maring brought along two recipes from the cookbook — which he prepared the night before with produce from the Union Square Farmers Market in New York — which show host Tanya Rivero sampled during the interview.
This 5-minute interview ran twice April 7 on ABC News Now, the network's 24/7 cable and digital channel, and can be watched online at abcnews.com.
